Chef’s Table - Oscar Winner

Oscar Morales wanted to be a doctor. But after supporting himself through college with jobs in the restaurant industry, bartending and waiting tables, he changed his mind. He moved to Atlanta in 1996 to open Mumbo Jumbo.

You’re pretty young.

I was when I started! Now I’m 33.

You pioneered the College Park restaurant scene with Oscar’s. Why that location?

I lived down there and still do. I liked the neighborhood and saw the potential. The city had master plans for revitalization and had established incentives. I could get in on the starting level of that. I could afford to own my own building.

Why do you think Oscar’s works so well?

There was a great need for a place like ours. There were a lot of travelers, conventioneers, the general traffic at Hartsfield, plus the neighborhoods down south, like Peachtree City and even Macon, and a lot of people from intown. And I am a hands-on owner. A lot of restaurants don’t have that vision, attention to detail, service and quality.

Are you feeling the Delta pinch?

We did for lunch. We closed for lunch and began focusing on dinner because of a lot of factors. Many big companies have built their own cafeterias. People are taking quicker, more inexpensive lunches. It wasn’t financially feasible.

You opened Luxe in 2003 in the old Mumbo Jumbo space. Why did you recently leave the restaurant?

I really loved that building; it’s where I grew up. But my concept was not what my partners were thinking of - they wanted a more clublike atmosphere. I didn’t like the direction it was going in, so I pulled out. A lot of restaurants fail because they don’t have a clear-cut identity.

Downtown is tough.

I don’t agree with that 100 percent. College Park is more unlikely. There’s not a magnitude of hotels, convention centers or close-in neighborhoods.

What’s next?

I’m on hold!

Oscar’s, 3725 Main St., College Park. 404-766-9688. www.oscarsatl.com.??